The U.S. House approved the bill on May 22. The U.S. Senate is expected to take a final vote on the bill before the July 4 holiday.<\/p>\n
If approved, President Donald Trump\u2019s tax bill includes devastating impacts of proposed Medicaid cuts to not only Philadelphia but the entire country. Medicaid is a public health insurance program for individuals or families with limited incomes and resources, including children, pregnant women, older adults, and people with disabilities. People who receive Medicaid have most \u2013 if not all \u2013 their healthcare services paid for by federal, state, and local governments.<\/p>\n
Approval of OBBBA would mean billions of dollars in cuts that could strip people of basic services including striping health insurance and care from almost 15 million Americans, the biggest cut to healthcare in American history.<\/p>\n
The legislation would also do the following:<\/p>\n
Strip health coverage from up to 1 in 5 children in the U.S. by slashing Medicaid and the Children\u2019s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).\u00a0Across Pennsylvania, more than 1.2 million children who are enrolled in Medicaid and more than 151,000 children who are enrolled in CHIP rely on both for their comprehensive health insurance, according to Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children.
\nImpose new waiting periods, premium lockouts, and work requirements on vulnerable populations.
\nCut $800 billion from Medicaid, resulting in $7.1 billion in losses to Pennsylvania hospitals over the next decade.
\nCause 300,000 Pennsylvanians to lose health coverage and increase uncompensated care burdens.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe OBBBA would have a devastating impact on Philadelphia and Pennsylvania by leaving our most vulnerable residents at risk,\u201d Council President Johnson said. \u201cI stand united with our healthcare workers and hospital leaders in protecting the well-being of our most vulnerable neighbors. It is sweeping overreach that puts politics over people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s not mince words\u2014these cruel Medicaid cuts are about one thing: paying for $4.5 trillion in tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and giant corporations by extending the disastrous 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,\u201d said Councilmember Dr. Nina Ahmad (At-Large). \u201cWe cannot close our eyes to what this means: children without care, disabled people abandoned, pregnant people left without support, and elders in nursing homes forced to fend for themselves. Medicaid is not a line item\u2014it is the backbone of our healthcare system. Without it, our hospitals and clinics will crumble, and lives will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Trump Administration and its billionaire backers want to slash Medicaid and other essential services families rely on to pay for massive tax cuts for billionaires and corporations,\u201d Councilmember Gauthier said. \u201cThe bottom line is that Republicans care more about handouts for their ultra-wealthy donors than they do about the people who will suffer because of their cruel cuts.\u201d<\/p>\n
In recent weeks, Councilmember Gauthier led an effort for Councilmembers to sign a letter that was sent to the Pennsylvania U.S. Senators Dave McCormick and John Fetterman asking them to reject funding cuts to Medicaid because of the impact they would have on Philadelphia\u2019s mental health infrastructure. The letter was signed by Councilmembers Gauthier, Ahmad, Landau (At-Large), Nicolas O\u2019Rourke (At-Large), Kendra Brooks (At-Large), Dr. Anthony Phillips (9th District) and Mark Squilla (1st District).<\/p>\n
According to the letter, more than one in four Philadelphians rely on Medicaid for healthcare and Medicaid is the largest payer of behavioral health services, investing $52 billion annually nationwide. In Philadelphia, Community Behavioral Health (CBH), funded by Medicaid, served over 100,000 residents in 2022, spending over $860 million on treatment.<\/p>\n
The opioid epidemic continues to have a devastating impact in Philadelphia, claiming 1,315 lives in 2023, the second highest on record. This crisis disproportionately affects communities of color, with overdose fatalities rising among African American and Hispanic residents.<\/p>\n
Medicaid covers nearly half of all addiction treatments in Philadelphia and any reduction in funding will directly dismantle the City\u2019s vital substance abuse treatment infrastructure, leading to a possible surge in overdoses, a reversal of progress, and the loss of more lives.<\/p>\n
Everyone attending the press conference urged all citizens to contact every U.S. House and Senate member nationwide to vote against the OBBBA.<\/p>\n
Also speaking at the press conference was Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, MD, MPH, Professor, Clinical Family Medicine & Community Health, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania (former City of Philadelphia Health Commissioner 2021-2024); Claire Aiminde, Chief Nursing Officer, St. Christopher\u2019s Hospital for Children; Julie Platt, Director, Advocacy and External Affairs, Mental Health Partnerships; and Peter Grollman, Senior Vice President, External Affairs, for Children\u2019s Hospital of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
Representatives from\u00a0Children\u2019s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Temple Health, Wills Eye Hospital, Drexel University and Jefferson Health also attended.<\/p>\n
![\"Print](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752557703_562_print-button-gray.png\")